The present invention is an improvement on a kit to convert a fixed live axle on a motor vehicle to a lock-in lock-out power hub which is disclosed and claimed in our co-pending application for U.S. Letters Pat. Ser. No. 796,769 filed May 13, 1977. In that kit, a fixed live axle which carries a brake drum and drive wheel disc mounting flange on the outer end of said axle was retained in the vehicle and said axle was provided with an outward extension having a radial flange fixed on its inner end which was bolted to the flange carried by the fixed live axle. Spaced bearings were provided on said extension axle (referred to in said application as a stub axle) and an axle housing hub was rotatably mounted on said bearings, said hub having a radial flange extending from the rear end thereof which assumed the function of supporting the rear drive wheel of the vehicle. A conventional wheel hub clutching mechanism is then mounted on the outer end of said axle housing hub, said mechanism being operable manually to optionally lock the stub axle to said axle housing and wheel or to disengage said stub axle to permit said housing and wheel to turn freely thereon.
Notwithstanding the effectiveness of the prior invention aforesaid in the attainment of its general purpose, it had certain characteristics which were subject to improvement. One of these was the necessity of widening the wheel tread of the vehicle approximately two inches when applying the kit of the invention to the opposite drive wheels at the rear end of the vehicle. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a kit for investing a powered road vehicle with a lock-in lock-out rear hub power assembly which will not substantially widen the tread of the rear end of the vehicle in order to accomplish this.
Another characteristic of our previous kit aforementioned which is subject to improvement is the fact that when a vehicle was modified by the embodiment of the kit therewith, and the wheel hub clutching mechanism was actuated to cause the drive wheels at the rear end of the vehicle to be free wheeling, the rear wheels were completely free from the brakes at the rear end of the vehicle if an emergency would occur that would require the application of said brake to said wheels. It is accordingly another object of the present invention to provide an improvement of the aforesaid kit such that when a motor vehicle is modified by the application of the improvement thereto, the drive wheels and brake drums of the vehicle will remain united together and mounted on the same flanges which are subject to control by said wheel hub clutching mechanisms whereby when said mechanisms are set to permit free wheeling of the wheels, the latter will remain associated with their respective brake drums and subject to brake control should any emergency require this.